


Breaking the well open (live on both sides)

by strawberriesandtophats



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, F/M, Multi-world theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-03-24 02:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13801479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberriesandtophats/pseuds/strawberriesandtophats
Summary: There were probably worlds where Kagome never went back to the past, even worlds where she stayed away from the well altogether after being sent back the final time.In this world, she jumps.In this world, she doesn't settle for being ripped away from the modern world.





	1. Chapter 1

 

For three years after the well closed, Kagome dreamt about archery. The movement of finding an arrow and how her hands would move as she held the bow and choose her target.

She stayed away from the archery club, no matter how much the sound of an arrow hitting its target sang to her. No matter how much she dreamed of it. She even missed the damn splinters and how calloused her fingers had been.

Hurrying to school in the mornings, some part of her was surprised at the sensation of concrete beneath he shoes instead of soft earth. She never stopped searching the rooftops for the sight of red cloth and silver hair.

Some part of her considered staying away from the well forever.

There was probably a world where she did make these choices. A regular life, where no half-demons bothered her and she’d spend her nights dreaming of the wind in her hair as she ran across endless fields with a bow strapped to her back. In that world, she became a damn archery champion, because why the hell not?

Some night she’d wake up, her head on her math textbooks because some things never changed, and half-expect to find Inuyasha sitting on her bed.

But when the well started working again, she didn’t hesitate or run back to her room to think about her choices.

She just jumped and let herself fall.

And took Inuyasha’s hand, breathing in the air she’d dreamed of for so long, seeing nothing but the soft look in his eyes.

There were probably other worlds where she waited for many more years for the well to open as a gateway between their worlds. A world where Inuyasha came to her instead, jumping through the window at her workplace with his old baseball cap on his head and a grin on his face.

It took another three years for the well to open again to the modern world.

It stayed open.

When it began behaving oddly, Kagome wrenched it open by sheer force of will.

They settled for a life in both worlds, Kagome studying plants and their healing abilities while moving modern luxuries between worlds in her huge backpack while helping out with the shrine. Inuyasha marveled at being able to eat ramen and all sorts of modern food whenever he wanted to and got a part-time job as a martial arts instructor for kids.

Not that he didn’t jump across rooftops from time to time with her on his back, terrifying everyone who saw them.

Not that she didn’t have a bow made to have around back at the shrine.

Not that they didn’t spend their life hunting down monsters of all kinds.

It was a good life. A shared one.


	2. Chapter 2

The window slid open so fast that it was a wonder the glass didn’t crack. Even on the twelfth floor, the breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers mixed with petrol, overwhelming the smell of strong coffee that appeared to be a part of the very office building itself.

Kagome looked up from her neatly organized files at the sight of red fabric and golden eyes, half-hidden behind that old, silly basketball cap. She pressed her shaking hands against the desk, hard enough to confirm that this was reality.

“Hah,” Inuyasha said, mirroring the helpless grin she knew must be on her face. “I knew I’d find you.”

All around them, Kagome’s co-workers were either speechless or considering calling either their superiors or the police.

“You’re late,” Kagome said, standing up and walking towards him on her uncomfortable heels, the ones she cursed every morning when she put them on in the train on her way to work. She didn’t feel them now.

Her coworkers were calling her, asking questions about Inuyasha and warning her about approaching him. She kept walking. She would have fought off armies if they had stood in her way.

“That well took its time to start working again,” Inuyasha said, huffing.

“I checked it every day, just in case,” Kagome said, climbing on top of his back and leaving her shoes behind. The fabric was just as soft beneath her fingers as it had been seven years ago.

Kagome tightened her grip.

The drop down on the pavement was horrific.

Inuyasha jumped and Kagome held her breath as they slid though the air, aware of the wind tangling her hair and cooling her skin. Her sensible blouse and skirt was meant for quiet indoor activities, not damp skies. But the skirt was flowy enough that running in it was possible and the sleeves her shirt were sewn so that she could actually move her arms.

Functionality over everything was a lesson you learned hard and fast when dealing with demons on a daily basis. 

“I left your bow with Kaede,” Inuyasha said as he landed on top of another high-rise.

“Good,” Kagome said, thinking of her sweaty workout clothes and the rows of archery medals and trophies in her room. Her bag was there too, stocked with medical supplies and toiletries and spare underwear, because she wasn’t an idiot. Her mother always kept the fridge and the pantry full of food, so grabbing a few boxes of Tupperware and bags of chips wasn’t an issue.

She’d been ready for years.


End file.
